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Magnetic Rail Orbital Cannon
''"Don't worry, we haven't had any foul ups since we re-calibrated the system last year. Now, before then, you could almost toss a coin on whether or not you'd hit the mark or wind up on your way to the second moon. Damned calibration ruining the betting pool." '' ~Launch officer Mckenzie not really comforting a passenger ---- What it is The orbital cannon usually comes in a variety of forms, however there are a great deal of features that work the same. All the apparatus needed for launch, from power plant to track and navigation systems are located on a Ground facility. The actual capsule is the item that heads into orbit, and is usually returned to the planet via various mechanisms. Sometimes the facility is composed of several miles long lengths of electro-magnetic rails that accelerate the launch projectile like a railgun with an upturned part at the end that sends the capsule rocketing into orbit. Other times it's a bit more compact and looks like big towers that point at the sky and will launch the capsule straight up along a vertical path. Whether it be linear acceleration, Electro-magnetic, Compressed gas release or other method of accelerating the capsule the result is the same. Most of the time the Capsule is set on a ballistic trajectory towards it's destination to be "Caught" by intercepting shuttles or in some cases a magnetic "net" attached to the station or facility or ship that stops it's ballistic motion and allows it to be taken to it's final destination easily. ---- Other Uses Some worlds have used Orbital cannons as a means of tourist attraction where they fire passengers into a orbital trajectory designed to orbit the planet a couple of times before falling back through the atmosphere to be collected. Additionally some mining facilities will load their ore or collected materials into a capsule and then use a orbital cannon to launch the material from the mines to a processing facility or to be collected by other workers. usually used as a cost-saving measure since if the capsules crash there is no loss of life and most of the materials (With the exception of liquids or gasses) can be reclaimed from the impact site with relative ease. Benefits and Drawbacks The biggest benefit is saving on cost. There's no need for a pilot or crew or expensive computers and navigational aids that may be damaged in the pod itself, all that equipment is centralized at the launch facility. It also allows for a planetary body to regulate passenger and material traffic off their planet and or charge for such services by insisting that their launchers are the only means of transit. Being able to Charge for every kilogram of material that goes into orbit with a cost-saving measure of the facilities themselves is usually more than enough to turn a tidy profit. The Drawbacks, however, are rather extensive. There's no real way to effectively land a ballistic projectile on a planet's surface. A lot of facilities that use such orbital cannons tend to break down the capsules and send them back en-masse with a landing craft (sometimes called a shuttle) that uses chemical thrusters and aerodynamic wings to make a landing on the surface. Other times they will pack them all together in a de-orbiting capsule and send them down to land in a large body of water to be collected and re-used. Once the capsule is launched there is no way to abort the launch, adjust the trajectory or otherwise stop the process. A ballistic course that may be off by several degrees on the ground could turn into vast kilometers of distance at the top of the flight. if there is a failure on weight calculations or trajectory or thrust required, or even a sudden change in atmospheric pressure or wind the occupants of a Capsule may find themselves in rather serious difficulties.